Strawberry-vine trimmer.



No. 811,978. PATENTED FEB. 6. 1906.

N. A. WEIGEN STRAWBERRY VINE TRIMMER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28.1905.

, comprises in addition to IIIE TATS CLEARLAKE, IOWA.

STRAWBERRY-VINE THIIWHVIEFI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1906.

Application filed July 28,1905. Serial No. 271,703u

To (11% whofi t it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELS A. WEIGEN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Clearlake, county of Cerro Gordo, and State of Iowa, haveinvented. certain new and useful Improvements in Strawberry-VineTrimmers, of which the following is a specification, and which areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to a device adapted for the cultivation ofstrawberry-plants, and

a cultivator of ordinary form cutters for severing the runners whichextend from the vines into the space between'the rows, so that they maybe uprooted or plowed. under by the cultivatorshovels.

In the cultivation of strawberry-plants it has heretofore been necessaryto remove the runners by a hand operation, as by the use of a cultivatorthey are merely turned along the edge of the rows, where they accumulatein a thick mat, some of them taking root and interfering with the growthand bearing of the parent vines. Somewhat better results have beenobtained by using a cultivator several times between each two rows ofplants, passing it each succeeding time in the opposite direction fromthat previously employed; but this procedure has been only partiallysuccessful as a means of removing the runners and has usually resultedin tearing up many of the vines, owing to the runners becoming tangledin the cultivator-points.

In carrying out the invention there is provided an attachment to beapplied to the frame of'a cultivator of usual construction and whichadjustably supports at either side of the cultivator-shovels a forked.head, in which is j ournaled a rolling cutter or blade.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient devicefor cleaning the space between the rows of strawberry-plants, therebystimulating the growth of the plants and the production of fruit.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts tobe hereinafter described, and claimed, and which is illustrated. in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of thedevice. Fig. 2 is a detail front elevation of the device, some of theparts being broken away and others shown in vertical, cross section.Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation as viewed from the line 3 3 of Fig. 6.Fig. 4. is a rear rigidly in position.

elevation of a detail of the construction separated from other parts.Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is aplan view showing some of the details of construction.

As shown in the drawings, the device includes a cultivator 10, ofwell-known construction, and having shovel carrying bars 11, 12, and 13,united at their forward ends in a head 14. One of these bars, as 12, iscontinued in front of the head, as indicated at 15, and carries atraction-wheel 16 and a draft-hook 17. The bars 11 and 13 are hinged tothe head so as to swing in a horizontal plane, their rear ends being adjustably spaced to accommodate the cultivator to various distancesbetween the rows of plants by a toggle mechanism 18, which is controlledby a hand-lever 19. The usual guide-handles are provided and are securedto the intermediate shovel-carrying bar 12 by a bolt 21. The bars 11,12, and 13 carry points or shares 22, of any convenient form, forcultivating the ground.

A transverse bar 23 is mounted on the cultivator-frame. It is preferablysupported by the head 14, to which it is rigidly secured by bolts 21-,which also serve as pivot-bolts for attaching the shovel-cz'n'rying bars1 and 13. In order to obtain the required height for the device, the bar23 is raised from the head by tubular posts or sleeves 25, through whichthe bolts 24 may pass. This bar extends laterally in either directionbeyond the sides of the cultivator and has adjustably mounted upon it,adjacent either end, a forked head 26 for receiving a cutting-blade 27,adapted to roll upon the ground. In order that the position of the blademay be both vertically and laterally adjustable, the construction ismost conveniently made, as follows: A post 28 rises from the head 26 andis clamped to the bar 23 by eyebolts 29 and 30 placed one above and theother below the bar. A bracket-block 31, having slotted apertures 32 33for receiving the heads of the eyebolts and a vertically-disposed groove34, forming a bearing for the post 28, and suitable shoulders 35 36 forengaging the upper and lower edges of the bar, serves as a seat for thepost against the side of the bar. A strap 37, ap-

ertured to pass over the two bolts, is applied at the opposite side ofthe bar and is employed as a clamping-piece against which the nuts 38 39take a bearing to secure the parts Forks 40 and 41 are pro- IIO videdfor supporting the cutting-blade 27 and extend, preferably, to the rearof and clownwardly from the head 26. As shown in the drawings, thecutting-blade 27 is circular and adapted to roll on the groimd, turningon a bolt 42, which unites the outer ends of the forks and 41. The head26 is removably attached to the post 28, being apertured to receive itslower end and taking a bearing against a shoulder 43, formed on thepost. It is secured in position by a bolt 44, passing through the headand through the post.

The bar 23 and its appurtenances are preferably employed as anattachment to be applied to any form of cultivator and may be removedtherefrom when it is desired to use the cultivator for other purposes.To this end the bolts 24 are provided to take the place of shorter onesusually employed in a cultivator for attaching the shovel-carrying bars11 and 13, and slotted apertures are formed in the bar 23 to accommodatethese bolts when used in connection with cultivators having variouswidths of head. In order to more rigidly secure the bar 23 in positionupon the cultivator, braces 46 47 may be employed, each having one endapplied to one of the bolts 24 above the bar and the other end securedto the frame of the cultivator in any convenient manner, as by means ofthe bolt 21,which also serves as a means for attaching the guide-handles20.

I In using the device the position of the blade 27 will be so adjustedby loosening the eyebolts 29 and 30 that they engage the ground withsufficient force to cut the runners of the strawberry-plants and so thatthey pass close to the plants of two adjacent rows when the cultivatoris in use. Those runners which extend into the space between the rowswill then be severed from the vines by the revolving blades and will beplowed into the ground by the cultivator-points 22. When it is desiredto use the cultivator for other purposes, the bar 23 and blades 27 maybe entirely removed by taking out the bolts 24. The shovel-carrying bars11 and 13 will then be attached to the head 14 by shorter bolts, such asare ordinarily used for this purpose, and

the braces 46 and 47 may be removed by taking out the bolt 21. This boltwill, however, necessarily be replaced to secure the guidehandles 20 inposition after the braces have been taken off.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a strawberry-vine trimmer, incombination, a cultivatorhead, shovel-carrying members pivotally unitedto the head, a transverse bar resting on;,the head, a cutting-bladeadjustably secured to the bar at each side of the head, and means forlaterally swinging the shovel-carrying members.

2. In a strawberry-vine trimmer, in combination, a cultivator having ahead and shovel-carrying members meeting in the head, a bolt forpivotally uniting one of such members with the head, a transverse barresting on the cultivator-head and apertured to receive the bolt, and acutting-blade carried by the bar.

In testimony whereof I have name to this specification in the twosubscribing witnesses.

NELS A. WEIGEN.

signed my presence of lVitnesses:

S. W. WALLIs, A. R. SANDRY.

